'Revenge' Season 2 premiere: Emily's back and as thorny as ever

Summer is officially over, which means it's just beginning in Revenge-land. Are you ready for another season of scheming, betrayal and backstabbing among the 1%? Of course you are! So let's dive in. Literally, considering how this season's first scene took place underwater.

Round Two of Revenge began the same way Season One did -- with a cliffhanger. Instead of a shooting on the beach, we got the underwater wreckage of a sunken Amanda and, lo and behold, there's a dead man down there. Could it be Emily's beloved Jack? Possibly, but I wouldn't bet on it.

After that undersea tease, we jumped back three months and Revenge gave us its own version of "How I spent my summer vacation" as we caught up with the main cast. And how was everyone doing? Some better than others.

Let's start with the Graysons, shall we? Charlotte spent the past 60 days in rehab. Daniel passed the time drinking, moping, mourning and, apparently, getting cozy with Ashley. Conrad, as usual, was scheming to keep the family business afloat.

Across town, at Casa de Porter, Jack has been sleeping in his boat, avoiding Fake Amanda (still pregnant, natch), while Declan has somehow become the responsible one. Meanwhile, Nolan took up boxing, thanks to his near-death experience with the "white-haired maniac"

And Emily? Our heroine, fresh off learning that her mother is alive, went to Japan to rekindle childhood memories by being tied up underwater. Or something. I'm still not sure what was going on there. What's important is that her mentor, Takeda, looks a lot different, since he's now being played by a different actor, and that there's a new man in the mix. His name is Aiden, he works for Takeda somehow and I think we were expected to sense sexual tension so thick you could cut it with a knife. (Seeing how, you now, Emily held a knife to his throat.) Honestly, I just wanted to get back to the Hamptons and let the real season begin, which it did in great form.

I was curious what tricks Revenge would have up its sleeve for its second season. After all, last season was pretty straightforward -- a young woman hell-bent on clearing her dead father's name scorches through the Hamptons in a quest to expose the people who framed him. I thought Season 2 would start out following that same path, with Emily trying to get revenge on the people who hid the truth about her mother. I'm certain the show will take us down that road eventually. (We already found out that Kara Clarke was deemed insane, possibly by the "late" Victoria Grayson.) And I'm especially excited to see Jennifer Jason Leigh bring the crazy as Emily's mom.

But what Revenge's season opener did so well was to focus on the tangled, complicated, often toxic relationships all of these characters share, with nice callbacks from the first season, to boot. Of course Em and Daniel's first awkward meeting would take place on that boat. And of course Ashley would turn into a miniature version of Daniel's mother. Of course Jack would light up when Emily returned, and naturally Amanda would get possessive, considering that Jack knows that she knows that Jack doesn't love her. Of course Conrad would be scheming to get his hands on his children's inheritance to try to keep Grayson Global afloat. And, of course, the first words out of Victoria's mouth when Emily shows up at her cabin would be, "What the hell are you doing here?"

Now, about Victoria Grayson. First, it was obvious she was alive. No one thought she was dead. If any of you thought she was dead, raise your hand. See? No one. So the show wasn't fooling anyone, although it was an inspired touch to omit Madeleine Stowe's name from the opening credits.

Second, I'm thrilled that Victoria is back. I'm even more thrilled that she's as ruthless and evil as ever. And I'm downright giddy at the thought of the esteemed Victoria Grayson spending two months living in a place in which antlers are the main decorating scheme.

Was it an action-packed episode? Hardly. Other than Emily and Nolan's Scooby-Doo-ish trip to the abandoned hospital and the revelation that Victoria is alive, the episode pretty much ended in the same place it began. But I like how, now that all of the characters' relationships and motivations have been established, we can kick back and spend a season watching them shift loyalties and allegiances. I, for one, can't wait.

Stray thoughts:

-- It'll be interesting to see what twists and turns lead to the sinking of the Amanda. We know it was an explosion (Thanks to one of the divers, whose name is probably Exposition.) but who caused it to explode. The early money is probably on Conrad, but that's too obvious. Also, since Victoria is alive and kicking, we know his explosions don't always pan out.

-- I find it odd that there was no mention of Lydia. She was a major player in the first season, so I thought someone would confirm she was truly dead. (Unless she isn't.)

-- I was certain that Emily and Victoria would be teaming up to spring Charlotte from rehab. Instead, Victoria didn't bat an eyelash when she ordered to have Emily "taken care of" immediately. I'm so glad I was wrong.

-- Ashley is right. "Bossome" is a horrible word.

-- The producers apparently realized that Gabriel Mann as Nolan has a huge female/gay male fan base. How else do you explain his sweaty and shirtless opening scene? (And new, slightly less-dorky haircut.)

-- I hope to God that Nolan never moves out. I loved seeing he and Emily curl up on the couch while watching the Clam Cam.

-- Speaking of the Clam Cam, I think it just might top last season's Shamu.

That's all for this week. Until next time, folks, stay Revenge-y!

In addition to being a TV addict and a copy editor for The Star-Ledger, Todd Ritter is the author of the mysteries DEATH NOTICE and BAD MOON, both published by St. Martin's Press.